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Leoven Savel
"When you meet your gods, tell them you stood in my way." Leoven Savel (Born 2498 I.C) was a Bretonnian knight of Bastonne whose skill at arms was widely reputed. He was born at Castle Greencourt to Lord Cadren and Lady Vasillia - their family’s sigil bore a sword before outstretched dragon wings and their words were famous across the duchy; ‘Spurn All But Duty.’ The Savel line was old and proud, and had produced many great knights, but despite all of Leoven's efforts, his life was marred by tragedy. There was little in it that he could call a blessing save for his great love, Lady Serah of house Mertois to whom he was utterly devoted. The years he spent with Serah were the greatest of his life but even such bliss was brought to an end in time. After he lost his love, Leoven was forever changed. Personality and Appearance Leoven was quite tall amongst his people, standing just over six feet two inches, his body was well built and muscular – the result of many years of discipline. He was reputed for his exceptional strength and his skill at wielding heavy blades with remarkable speed. Leoven’s commitment to his skill at arms was uncommon even amongst the most dedicated knights. Often he would suffer ill-standing with his rivals due to his absence from all things to do with courtly life. He was not considered exceptionally handsome but many remarked that his dark eyes were his most striking feature. The knight’s hair was as dark as his gaze, he kept it short so as not to be a hindrance in combat. He had never much concerned himself with the opinions of others and so was rarely dressed or styled in the latest fashions. During his early years, Leoven was quite an idealist despite having always possessed a somber streak. Although much tragedy had followed him and his family, he had remained ever hopeful he could make for himself the life he desired – that escape from misery was within his grasp, he merely had to endeavor to free himself. This hopeful attitude flourished during the years he spent with his beloved – her own vibrant personality was infectious to the knight. After he lost Lady Serah however, Leoven’s personality and demeanor turned dark. The things that were once important to him no longer interested the knight and those things that had irritated him slightly had earned his most severe scorn. Those who encountered Leoven who knew him before he lost Lady Serah often remarked that the man they had known seemed hardly present in the jaded soul that remained. Vasilia's Passing “Find the happiness I never could." '' ''- ''Vasillia’s final words to Leoven. Leoven was much loved by his mother as a child, but his father had always been a distant, stern man. Cadren had longed for a large family of strong sons who would carry his name with honour but despite Leoven’s being born strong and healthy, Vasilia's next four births were all stillborn sons. These tragedies came to affect Vasilia and Cadren in their own ways - Cadren internalized his turmoil whilst Vasilia spent more and more time locked away in her chambers. Cadren's internalization led to a bitter resentment of his wife, which turned the gentle hearted Vasilia to blaming herself. The succession of four stillborns even led to dark rumors amongst the courts of Bastonne that the Savel line was cursed. As the years passed, the young Leoven's home became sullen and loveless, his father rarely saw the boy or his mother and spent most of his times musing over past heraldry or away on hunts, gone for weeks at a time. Leoven, still young, did all he could to distract himself and do what he thought might gain his father's approval and bring happiness to his mother - which meant tireless lessons at the hands of the castle's swordmaster, Sir Gavique. Gavique was considered somewhat of an eccentric amongst the courts of Bastonne for he had never sired children nor seemed to take any interest in such a thing - he seemed to only care for weapons and other instruments of death. Despite his oddness, he was indeed the region's most foremost Master-at-Arms and served his house with loyalty. He even carried the title of 'Paladin', purely a matter of honour but nonetheless it certified him as a warrior of great renown. Leoven had always been fond of the strange swordmaster, who seemed largely unaffected by the darkness that seemed to now dwell within Castle Greencourt. Gavique taught Leoven well, and in many ways filled the role that Cadren should have. As Leoven entered his thirteenth year, his parent's relationship had disintergrated to almost nothing. They no longer ate at the same table nor even shared a bed. The young boy's friendship with Gavique had grown as had Leoven's skill with a blade - now even able to best boys older than he. Gavique maintained his distance from the cold family relations of the Savels, but gave Leoven much of his time, alotting many more lessons for the boy than any other noble son in the castle. Leoven grew obsessed with his increasing skill, seeing it as his only true distraction from his troubled family - and he thought that Gavique must have seen that also. Leoven had grown to silently resent his father and pity his mother in equal respect. The young boy often tried to reach out to her, but it was as if a piece of her had died with each of her stillborn children - as though her capacity for love had simply seeped away. One night, when Cadren had left once more on one of his hunts, Vasilia came to young Leoven's chambers before he slept, smiling at him from beyond the door, yet there was no joy in it. She looked at him with a loving gaze and spoke the words, "Find the happiness I never could." Leoven stood before his bed, eyeing his mother with a curious stare but Vasilia would not enter. After a moment she took her leave, her steps seemingly lighter as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Leoven was not to know, that that would be the last time he would see his mother alive. That night, she ascended the highest tower of Castle Greencourt and gave herself to the night sky. The news was brought to the boy by Gavique, Leoven's heart was crushed but despite the grief and sorrow that creeped upon his heart, no tears would come. It was not that the boy was cruel, it was that only upon hearing of his mother's suicide that he finally understood she had died along time ago - to weep for her now would be to weep for a ghost. The shade that had become his mother had left him those earnest parting words, and as Leoven sat alone as the night crept by, he resolved to heed those words rather than fall into the same abyss that his mother had. Despite all this though, Leoven's resentment of his father only grew - festering in the boy's heart, sharing a space alongside the pitying love he had for his mother. Knight Errant ''"Fighting as you do with that two handed blade of yours - you may feel more like a butcher than a hero, but the living may console themselves while the dead cannot." - Sir Gavique As Leoven continued into his teens, his relationship with his father had diminished to nearly non-existent. The boy never spoke to Cadren of the resentment he held however, not wanting to breed further discontent into an already loveless home. Both father and son seemed satisfied to obsess themselves entirely with their own lives; Cadren continued playing the role of Lord of Castle Greencourt, whilst Leoven tirelessly persued his martial training. Cadren still commanded the respect of those sworn to his house, for Savel was an old name and Cadren had been a charismatic and skilled commander in his youth. As time went on though, the tragedies that had been visited upon him were beginning to take a toll that even those not close to him could see. Rarely did he take to the field when his lands came under threat, and this caused many of those beneath him to ask silent questions of Cadren's abilities. Leoven, now fourteen, would hear none of it though. As the boys around him became more bold and confident in their abilities (especially when it came to the opposite sex) Leoven by contrast continued to keep his own company. The only one whom he could call a companion was Sir Gavique, who had also become the closest thing Leoven had to a father figure. The boys of the castle, all eager to prove they had both skills and sense beyond their years, began to take an interest in court life. And this was how Leoven first learnt of his father's diminished reputation. For all the resentment Leoven had for his father, he could see in people's eyes that when they called Cadren into question they cast young Leoven into that doubt as well. Leoven was no great orator, nor did he see any reason to try and disprove the whispered doubts about Cadren and his line. Leoven did the only thing he knew, he continued training his skills at every opportunity. To the chagrin of the castle's noble sons, Leoven was now comfortable in besting any of them with sword, mace or lance. The fourteen year old thought this might endear him to the rest of the noble sons and daughters of the castle but it had the opposite effect. His advanced skill and tireless training only served to alienate him further from the social circles that were forming amongst the castle's youth. Leoven was initially confused and hurt by this, but as time went on, he found that besting his 'rivals' in combat was the simplest way to silence their tongues. They would still speak about the skilled boy behind his back, but Leoven had developed resilience to such treatment. His distancing from the social circles of the castle had taught Leoven this: He may not be able to silence his foes with snappy witticisms, but his sword spoke for him just fine. It was during Leoven's fifteenth year that he saw true combat and killed for the first time. Cadren's Madness "“The faces of those who loved me, they have turned to mist, they have turned to nothing! Do not let them in!” ''- Lord Cadren, at one of his final held courts. In his fifteenth year, Leoven was bestowed the rank of Knight Errant. As the first and only son of the esteemed Savel household, many of the court knew not exactly what to make of the boy. His father's melancholy had progressed to a point where he seemed completely disinterested in women - and as the advisors came to see it; completely disinterested in furthering the line of his house. Leoven was a fighter skilled beyond his years, but he yet to see actual combat and soon he would be expected to prove himself worthy of the title of knight errant. However, the challenge was that were the boy to perish, the Savel line would be ended unless Cadren was to take another wife or even a lover - these seemed like remote possibilities. However, it seemed that the decision of whether the only son of House Savel should see combat would soon be decided. Tensions rose across the duchy as word spread that relations between House Buckler of Montfort and House Girard of Bastonne had become volatile. The two had been rivals for generations, and battles had even been met over their disdain for one another. They were not immensely powerful houses, but they both sat on their respective borders and as such their own feuds could have far-reaching consequences. The Dukes of Bastonne and Montfort were aware of this rivalry of course, but both chose to turn a blind eye to the conflict. For if the Dukes were to openly enter the foray, then the conflict could escalate immeasurably - even to the point of civil war. There were various reasons for their mutual disdain - most accounts citing honour besmirched or acts of cowardice. However, at the core of the dispute was that both houses had claims to precious mines dotted along the mountains in Montfort, they were situated on the land of the Bucklers but the Girards had ancestral ties to the mines that went back to the time of the Grail Companions. House Savel, as one of Bastonne's most prominent houses, was in a better position to try and calm tensions when they arose - often on the discreet orders from the Duke himself. It had done so not a decade prior when tensions had been high, but Lord Cadren had quelled them - seemingly for good - after arranging that House Girard and House Buckler would become joined by marriage, thus settling the issue of their claim. Cadren had arranged that Lady Nora, second daughter of the Girards, would marry Sir Reve, the second son of the Bucklers, when they both came of age. This meant that both families would be able to share in the mines. Of course, this manner of reconciling had been considered before, but never had the deal been amicable enough for both sides - but they were made so with the intervention of Cadren. Ten years later, when both the children reached the age of fifteen the marriage was announced and preparations were being made. However, word began to spread that Lady Nora had sworn an oath to the Priestesses of Shallya. It was law in Bretonnia that if a woman had taken a religious or monastic vow then they were forbidden from marriage. This information is said to have come from a house under House Buckler - which House Girard and its allies immediately called slander and misinformation. House Buckler believed that the Girards were trying to marry off a daughter that could not be legally married in order to gain access to the mines, whereas House Girard claimed that the Bucklers began a false rumor because they were suddenly unsatisfied with the arrangements of the marriage. Thus, the tensions between the houses arose once more. When word reached Castle Greencourt of the seemingly ended marriage arrangements and the accusations throw at House Girard, many expected Cadren to consider his options and resolve the situation as best he could, for this is how he would have confronted an issue like this previously. However, it was in this moment that people knew that Cadren was not longer the man he once was. Uncharacteristically, he flew into a rage at the events reported to him. In his youth, Cadren had been fiery and charismatic, but he was not known for his temper. To his court, he called the Bucklers a house of traitors and miscreants. While others watched on, his advisors - Gavique among them - tried to calm their Lord but he would not listen to reason. Cadren decried these events as a slight against all Bastonnians. Leoven was there to see this, sitting silently not far from his father's throne. He watched on with resentment and pity, now he was seeing what had been festering in Cadren all these years. Some members of the court joined Cadren in his anger, thinking they could gain favour by indulging their lord. But the wiser amongst them knew this would not lead to anything good. It was then though that Cadren silenced his advisors and demanded that blood be the recompense. With that, even the most sycophantic courtiers fell silent. For the lord of Castle Greencourt to be seeking military action against a family of from another duchy in a matter such as this was unheard of. Those in attendance thought then that Cadren would be once again riding for battle, but instead he demanded that a knight in attendance mete out their lord's justice to the Bucklers. The Bastonnians were a martial, impetuous people but even they knew that such an action was ill-advised, and no knight there volunteered for such a mission. This angered the lord more, and he began cursing his entire court, calling for his most loyal servant - still, none answered. His advisors were trying to put an end to this display as quickly as possible as for every moment Cadren spent in his wild rage, he weakened his position as Lord. Finally, when none were prepared to indulge their lord's sudden foolishness, Cadren announced that it was fitting that none answered because this was a task he would only trust to his blood. So it was that Leoven was appointed as the knight who would lead a force against the Bucklers. Some in the court responded, stating that sending an untested Knight Errant with such a task was compounding the ill-made decision, while others remained silent - simply relieved that they had not been chosen. Leoven did not look at his father, even after he had been given this mission. He sat motionless, but inside he was immediately anxious - the prospect of potentially seeing real combat was of course exciting for a young Bastonnian noble but to be given command of a force? That could end in disaster. Furthermore, Leoven knew this order from his father had not come from a place of faith and pride in his son - but merely as a final recourse borne of witlessness. Finally, Cadren seemed to wear himself out and he roared to his subjects that the court was finished. He stormed from the expansive room and disappeared into the halls. The fallout of Cadren's public breakdown was swift. Even his most staunch courtiers and retainers began whispering of his deteriorating state, and what it would mean for Castle Greencourt. Some believed it would be the end of the Savel line, since he had just tasked his son with what could very well be a certain death for the teenager. Despite the manner in which this mission was tasked, it had quickly been rebranded by the court as an 'Errantry Quest' - in the fashion of the knights of old. If Leoven were to succeed in this, he would earn the title of ‘Knight of the Realm’. It was said by some that this interpretation of Cadren’s outburst had been purposefully spread by the less scrupulous members of the court, looking to advance their own agendas by potentially ending the Savel house. In typically Bastonnian fashion, the more noble knights of the court were mostly unaware of the darker motives of the courtiers and retainers. And so it was that the muster began. Castle Greencourt raised five dozen men-at-arms and three dozen bowmen, with House Girard and House Charron - the latter being a trusted retainer of the Savels - supplying each half that amount again. To lead this force, was thirty knights of the realm and a dozen Knights Errant. All in all, the young scion of House Savel found himself in command of over two hundred fighting men. Knight of the Realm ''"Honour is all. Chivalry is all." - Leoven, reciting the final words of 'The Knight's Vow' Sir Leoven Savel - Lord of Castle Greencourt "Let the call ring forth; if you should see my banners rise over your hills - pray that you have been loyal to my house." 'Leoven, now a Lord of Bretonnia, had been forced to learn the ways of court – as much as the pomp and ceremony irked him, he understood it was necessary. The knight did not have a mind for the endless intricacies of the game of politics, but he became determined to understand it as best he could. This was spurred by the demise of his father. Leoven never held much love for Cadren, but he truly hated what fate had visited upon the once-proud man. He resolved to become a lord of respect, and behave in such a way that those in his court would not plot and scheme behind his back. Leoven would be a lord that would bring pride to his fallen mentor and mother. Of course, it was easier said than done. Leoven’s natural impatience could even lead to impertinence, and what the knight saw as the most clear and obvious path to a solution brought him little love of those around him – his solutions often yielded opportunities for political gain and his lack of skill at numbers and strategy meant his administering duties suffered as well. Still, Leoven’s simplistic approach to problem-solving and his conviction were qualities that won the favour of the more chivalrous knights – of which there were many in Bastonne. As well, the commonfolk welcomed the stark change brought on by the son of Cadren. Slowly but surely, the house of Savel earned back the trust of the peasants. It was those with power, influence and strategy that developed scorn for Leoven, for they saw him as a young man ill-equipped for the duties of lordship, a man who was unable to see the whole board. Leoven knew his courtiers and advisors did not think much of his ability to wisely administer his lands or navigate the realm’s politics – and in truth he knew they were right. The knight of the realm had a warrior’s instinct, a warrior’s cunning and a warrior’s courage and all of that served him little in the battlefield that was his castle’s court. Lady Serah of House Mertois "Let us see if you dance better than you dress..." - Serah, teasing Leoven on the night of their meeting. The Coming of the Six "All shall suffer as we have suffered!" - Valen the Necromancer, leader of the Six The Days of Bliss "Take my hand, and I shall never let you go. I swear it." - Leoven on the day of his wedding. The Darkest Night "Nothing now can ever come to any good." - Leoven, leaving the castle with Serah's body. Questing Knight '''A New Dawn "I will find him, I will face him, and I will tear him apart." - Leoven, upon the eve of his Quest. Leoven had sworn a most bloody vengeance upon the creature that had murdered his love. He knew only that his quarry was not human, no mortal could have cut such a path through his castle without a weapon, and that the beast bore a single white rose upon his shield. For over four months the knight traveled alone, trying to find anyone who had seen a warrior bearing such a sigil or even a single clue. Leoven had traversed much of his homeland and had spent the time in solitude - which was how he wanted it. The knight's demeanor had turned beyond dark, he was a being of pure hatred - both outward and inward. The trauma of losing Serah affected him in every possible way, the agony even found him in his sleep - when he could find it. He first braved the darkness of Mousillon's outskirts, as that dark realm had long been a haven of the vampiric lords. Leoven tracked down a necromancer who made his hovel in a ruined outpost, and after defeating his zombie minions, viciously beat the magic user for any information pertaining to the creature who had murdered Serah. The necromancer had owned books that contained many records of Mousillon's cursed ancestry and with the dark wizard's help, Leoven had learned that there was no knight in the cursed province who bore a white rose for his sigil, nor had the necromancer heard of any such knight travelling through the area. As far as the questing knight could tell, the information seemed accurate as the sigils of all surrounding noble houses - even those of dark Mousillon - had been a part of the knight's noble tutelage, and he had recalled no such sigil either. The necromancer's use had come to an end, and after promising to spare his life Leoven buried his blade in the magic user's stomach and left him to die. Thinking that venturing deeper into Mousillon alone would be fruitless, Leoven traveled north, his travels were unimpeded for the knight's mere presence had become intimidating. Despite the vows he had sworn as questing knight, Leoven had no interest in anything that lay outside his quarry and had turned down several requests for aid by local villages and knightly retinues. His vengeance had become his obsession, he had nothing left in his heart. Even so, there was a part of him that loathed himself for the shadow he had become, he knew that this was not the man that Gavique had taught him to be, nor was it the man that Serah had married. Tragically, what Leoven had come to believe however, was that if he had possessed this cold hearted focus before then none of this would have happened. Leoven had gone north and braved as much as he could of the Forest of Arden, yet there was no sign of his foe. There he found only vile shrines and icons dedicated to the dark gods of the beastmen. Yet he saw no sign of the creatures themselves, that silent place and its echoes of horror had unnerved even the questing knight. He then found himself in the duchy of Gisoreux, he visited to the libraries of earls and barons in search of any sign of this mysterious knight's existence. No record was to be found though, nor had any steward of chamberlain ever heard of such a sigil and these were men who were far more learned in this area than Leoven would ever be. Humbled by Walking Death "What's wrong with me? All I need to do is cut him to pieces! That's how I've always done things, isn't it? If I don't, then Serah's death..." - Leoven, after being bested in his first encounter with a vampire. Theme